


you are too tired for this

by parthevia



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, College, Fluff, M/M, zack is overwhelmed and needs his sunshine to make it feel better basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parthevia/pseuds/parthevia
Summary: Cloud heard a very distinct noise, constituting it as his least favorite one in the entire universe. Not often did it invade his senses, which he'd know from miles away.A sniffle.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 1
Kudos: 81





	you are too tired for this

**Author's Note:**

> this is also self indulgent.. but unlike my last piece, its self indulgent fluff

_you drift to your room &_

_you sleep for years_

A silent apartment sat before Cloud when he pushed open the door, returning home from a particularly exhaustive shift at his shitty bartending job not far off of Zack's campus. It was the ripe hour of two in the morning, and generally around now, he'd still enter to the shuffling of paper, or perhaps the clicking of laptop keys... it was an eerie, unnerving quiet for the blonde. 

They lived a fairly comfortable life. Cloud had no interest in continuing his education post-highschool, so he worked. Zack went to class. They had opposite schedules, but they weren't miserable. Sometimes the jobs would get to be overwhelming, but there wasn't much of anything else to do, anyways. 

Zack's desk was vacated— yet still managed to look as though a tornado of school supplies went through it. Papers haphazardly strewn throughout in uneven, messy piles, all with some sort of scribbled, illegible penmanship indicating what their purpose was... the younger of the two would offer to organize it for him, on occasion, to be met with an offended glare, with the proclamation that Zack knew where everything was, so it wasn't necessary for Cloud to waste his time with it. 

Under the assumption that his lover was sound asleep, tucked away in the bedroom they shared, he took the liberty to thumb through some of the various sheets of notes— he couldn't read them, of course, but it was endearing to view the hard work that his partner put in, day in, day out. 

A series of numbers scribbled on a sticky note, pressed to the cover of the unopened laptop caught his eye, however. It was extremely simple math, which was, surprisingly legible. Neat calculations carried out in bright purple letters, he hadn't a clue of the meaning. He'd have to ask in the morning, if he caught Zack before he was dashing out the door. 

Brought out of the admiring daze, Cloud heard a very distinct noise, constituting it as his least favorite one in the entire universe. Not often did it invade his senses, which he'd know from miles away. 

A sniffle. 

It was unlike Cloud to take this sort of matter so quickly, being known to favor the analyzed, methodical approach, with any other sentient creature on this planet. He'd never just dive head first, but in seconds flat, he had the bedroom door wide open, carefully observing what was awaiting his arrival. 

A man, with his muscular physique, in unclean pajama bottoms, wrapped around a pathetic looking pillow— stained, and now visibly soaked in tears that were rapidly flowing down his face. Appearing startled by the sudden entry, the bed creaked when Zack jumped in surprise, moving his frame to try and hide his current state.

Still in his clothes from working the night away, Cloud found himself perched on the bed next to the sobbing figure, cautiously pressing a single chilly hand against Zack's neck, threading calloused fingers through the coarse hair at the nape. He knew how to make the other melt, and melt he did, ditching the pillow being used for comfort in preference of wrapping his arms around Cloud, pressing his face against a clothed shoulder without remorse of the tear stains that would come later. 

"Shhh," came the murmured, gruff voice from Cloud, wishing that he could take the sobs wracking Zack's entire body far, far away from this wretched place. But he couldn't, so that meant more bawling was to ensue. 

"I'm sorry," was the gasped, strained response, the frantic feeling permeated every word that left his lips. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," the apologies came profusely, neverending... and Cloud was too accustomed to this, so he just let him go. 

The confident demeanor Zack always had on that dopey face of his was what captured Cloud in the first place, and the real, raw, anxious Zack, was why Cloud stayed. 

Gradually, the hushed whimpers came to a lull, the tears streaking his tanned flesh drying, somewhat. "What are the numbers on your laptop?" He questioned, knowing those had to be the source of this distress. Zack never got this irrationally worked up unless it was over school, or Cloud, and to his knowledge, they hadn't had any issues between them. 

Gently allowing air to fill his lungs, Zack puffed out his cheeks and exhaled, trying to calm himself enough to explain to poor, clueless, Cloudy. "They're the grades I need to maintain my GPA for the program," he explained, the words coming out jumbled, and all at once. 

"I'm working so hard, Cloudy, I feel like I haven't slept in months, and I'm still not even close to what I need," and he was right. Cloud had noticed the deep violet bags underneath his boyfriend's usually vibrant optics, and they lacked their shine, lately. Attempting to press himself impossibly closer to Zack, he could feel the exhaustion in his own body, as well as his love's. 

They both did so much. They both tried so hard, day in, day out— they put each other on the back burner for their own reasons. Cloud wanted to work enough to make them happy now. Zack wanted to work enough to make them happy later. 

Getting off of the bed and peeling his dirty, alcohol reeking clothing off of his pale body, Cloud gestured for Zack to follow suit. The light was flicked off, and he returned, this time underneath the covers, a hand reaching up to stroke the other man's scarred cheek, thumb brushing against the warm skin as both of their breathing evened out. 

"How is it that you know exactly what I need, every damn time, sunshine," Zack half grumbled, eyes already partially closed, knowing that he was being heavily inspected. Cloud loved to look at him, even in the pitch black, and he knew the question being asked of him required no answer. 

Sometimes, they both knew, spending some time with the one who matters most, in their most vulnerable positions, makes the light at the end seem so much brighter. 


End file.
